Jambo from Tanzania!
June 25, 2024
Jambo Jambo! The past few days after our trek up Kilimanjaro have been incredible. We have certainly been able to relax, which we can say we have earned. After Kilimanjaro, we were greeted back in Arusha by the hotel host with a BBQ feast and some Tanzanian dance music. Elizabeth led the table with the moves she created on the mountain, coined as “The Pole Pole,” which translates to “The Slowly Slowly.” After the feast, we packed up and were ready to go to the Ngorongoro Crater the following day.
When we woke up, it was time to load up in the safari cars, which are some pretty sweet rides. There was a lot of driving involved with this session, but that didn’t bother anyone with the help of Cameron’s musical playlist and queue crafting. The country music was a great comfort as well as a joy to all in the car. We arrived at the crater, and the weather was perfect. We drove down in and got a full afternoon of safari tours throughout the environment within the caldera. Some notable creatures we encountered: Guineafowl, which were Martha’s favorite, Rhinos, Hyenas, Baboons, and some vibrant Zebras. It was a spectacular afternoon. When we arrived at camp, Wilson Crane’s favorite animal was there waiting for us in the campsite—a massive Cape Buffalo. Quite the specimen.
The next day, we woke up and were set to head to the massive Serengeti National Park. Here is where Wynn pulled the hat of a lifetime out of his bag. It was an IKEA bag bucket hat, and everyone was instantly jealous of his style. When our safari began, we got to see countless notable species right away. Aspen was able to capture some memorable photos of a lioness feeding on a zebra carcass. The sight was remarkable, and I doubt any of the students will be forgetting it in their lifetimes. Although this sight was amazing, we think Hunter preferred our encounter with multiple giraffes lying down. She was able to teach us facts that none of us had previously known, as well as the reasons she particularly adores giraffes. Henry expressed interest in the vibrant bird called the “Lilac Breasted Roller” that we encountered. The colors were visible from miles away, and it wasn’t quite the bucket list creature for many of us until we got to see it in all of its glory.
The day after was a great safari game drive as well as a surprise birthday party for the beloved Margaret, or “Mapacha.” We enjoyed some tasty African treats and had a surprise mystery birthday cake. We also got to see elephants up close, cheetahs from afar, and many others in between. Our last day of safari was a morning game drive where we got to see a pride of lions battling some vultures over a Cape buffalo carcass. It was incredible that we were able to get so close to the action. That night at dinner, our table conversations were unmatched with the humorous helping hand of Cate. Our last safari session moonup was one to remember, as Wilson Young crafted the perfect questions as she usually does. She certainly knows how to bring everyone together with her style of being Leader of the Day, or “LOD.”
The safari section was a nice rest after our challenging climb up Kilimanjaro, and it was a blessing to be able to observe such natural beauty while doing so. We are so fortunate to have such an eclectic group of students on this trip, and we have created so many memories for each other to remember for time to come. Everyone is sad the trip is coming to an end; however, the students are excited to see family and friends back home in the States!
Lastly, Caroline and I wanted to say thank you to the parents who sent their children with us on this trip. Every student had a great contribution to the group, and we are so grateful to have been able to meet them. This session was certainly a success, and it made being a leader much more than a job. We will remember this trip forever, and we are fortunate to have had such a remarkable experience!
Summit Superstars at the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro!
June 21, 2024
Jambo!!
The past week has been nothing short of incredible. Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and we were destined to step afoot. driving up we were able to see it’s daunting size, but we were stoked nonetheless. Our group attempted the Machame Route up Mt. Kilimanjaro, a 7 day route that offers high success rates to its climbers. When we got to the Machame gate it was time to load up on water and lunch. Here is where we realized just how great our group’s morale and outcome was going to be on the mountain.
Our climb began at the Machame Gate, where we were introduced to all of the porters and enjoyed lunch with our guides before embarking on our adventure. On this first day, we trekked through a rainforest, our initial encounter with Mt. Kilimanjaro’s diverse ecosystems. Corley had read that toucans inhabit this part of the mountain, so we eagerly scanned the trees and even attempted a few bird calls, but unfortunately, we didn’t spot any. That night at Moonup, we eagerly discussed the days ahead before heading to bed filled with excitement.
The next morning, we woke up at the crack of dawn, and quickly packed up camp in order to begin our day of hiking. Our group mastered the Swahili phrase “Pole Pole” meaning slow slow. Hiking slowly up the mountain is crucial to allow our bodies to successfully acclimate to the altitude and greatly improves our chance of success. We watched in awe as the terrain transformed from the lush rainforest we saw yesterday to a much drier tundra with lots of wildflowers off in the distance. Wynn kept us entertained and laughing with all of his stories from his seemingly endless supply. We arrived to camp around lunch where we had a quick photoshoot, and then sat down to a hot lunch. Huge shout outs to all of our guides and porters for all of their hard work that allows us to enjoy so much good food and comfort on the mountain!
Our guides warned us that day 3 was going to be tough, and they were absolutely correct. At over 15,000 ft in elevation, this was the highest point we had been all trip, and for most of the group the highest altitude they had ever been. After about an hour, and beginning to feel the effects of the altitude, we retreated lower, to Barranco Camp, one of the most magnificent campsites yet. For the first time, we were able to see the mountain in all of its glory. Tired from a long day, we closed with dinner and Moonup around the table.
Day 4 is renowned for presenting one of the most challenging obstacles on the Machame Route: the Breakfast Wall. Our students ascended the steep section slowly but confidently, offering help to those behind and giving support to those ahead when needed. It was clear and heartwarming to see that our group had become a well-oiled machine, understanding that teamwork is the only way to conquer the mountain. One of the highlights was enjoying the cinnamon-covered pineapple for dessert after dinner. As always, we ended the evening with Moonup, made even more special by Cameron’s suggestion to adopt a tradition from her field hockey team back home: we went around in a circle, each person complimenting the person to their left and right. We went to bed that night excited for the days ahead.
Summit day! We had an early wake up call at midnight, and it was quite the scene. The wind was howling harder than ever yet everyone was eager to push themselves to the limits. Henry and Wilson (Young) conquered the morning being motivational and energetic leaders of the day. We hiked under the stars for hours using our headlamps and our entire wardrobes. The darkened vertical hike was challenging but everyone in the group made it to the most pivotal moment of the morning, being sunrise. This boosted everyone’s spirits more than we imagined. Here, Wilson (Crane), Martha and Hunter soaked it all in during a much needed rest. At Stella point, the guides surprised us with warm tea that they had somehow managed to lug up along with their own belongings. Some used the tea for an energy boost, some for taste and nifty Elizabeth used it for a luxurious face warmer. After another hour of climbing through the snow we had done it, we had climbed the mighty Mt. Kilimanjaro. Many of us had hiked for more than 18 hours that day, arriving at camp around 6:30 P.M. Wake-up campsite was at 15,970ft, summit was at 19,341 and the next campsite was at approximately 10,000ft! Everyone was astonished at what their mind and bodies had accomplished. Aspen, being the MVP of the way down. Not only was he the first to make it down from summit with the best attitude, he had also mastered the art of not complaining despite the almost full day of hiking. When we finally made it back to camp we enjoyed recapping the day, however dinner was followed by bedtime quicker than the snap of a finger.
Being the day after summit day, we were able to sleep in before it was time to descend back into the wet but beautiful rainforest at the foothills of the mountain. Cate was somehow able to manifest pizza at the end of the trail by talking about it on the way down, because sure enough, it was what was for lunch! The past week has been an incredibly challenging week for everyone in the group and Caroline and I are so proud of every individual for how they handled every single situation. Although we had an endless supply of good times, many moments on the mountain were certainly “type 2 fun” and we think it was an impactful experience for everyone in the group.
Shoutouts:
Wynn: Hi Mom, Dad, Ella, and Bo, I am having a very fun time here in Tanzania it was really fun to summit the mountain. I hope all is well at home. I can’t wait to see you soon.● Aspen: Hey Family! Happy Father’s Day Dad! I hope you guys are all doing well. I am having a ton of fun and can’t wait to tell you guys about it! See you guys soon! Love you guys!● Henry: Hi guys! Happy late Father’s Day Dad! I hope you guys are having fun in the mountains. I am having a ton of fun! Love y’all and see you soon!● Wilson Crane: Happy late birthday Finley and Father’s Day Dad!! I love you all and I bet you are having so much fun! I can’t wait to see you and tell you all about it when I getback!● Wilson Young: Hey Young, Wilson, Land family, and friends! I did the dang thing! Everything we’ve experienced here has been absolutely incredible and I can’t wait to tell y’all all about it! I love y’all so very much and can’t wait to see y’all so soon! Happy belated Father’s Day Dad!● Martha: Hey family! Happy Father’s Day Dad! I’ve been having the very best time in Tanzania. I hope everything at home is going well, and I can’t wait to see y’all soon!● Hunter: Hi everyone!! Happy late Father’s Day dad!! I can’t wait to tell y’all about summitting!! See y’all soon!! I love y’all!!● Elizabeth: Hi guys! Happy late Father’s Day Dad, and happy early birthday to everyone!! I’m having an absolute blast, I cannot wait to tell you guys everything about my time. I love you all☺️● Cameron: Hey Dad, Bill Bill, Sary, and of course Riley!! I hope y’all are doing well and I cannot wait to see y’all in a couple days. Sara: I know I won’t see you until corn roast since you are about to leave but I hope you have the best time ever at greystone. It is our happy place and enjoy every moment😁! Rah for odds. Ok I love you so much andam having such a great time in Africa!!● Margaret: Hey Mom, Dad, and Tad! I am doing so so much better now, so hakunamatata! Love you lots and can’t wait to see y’all soon!● Cate: hello folks! Happiest of late Father’s Day chuckles😊 I miss you all dearly however I will be sad to leave these lovely persons whom I call my friends. I simply cannot wait to tell you the lore of the mountain ooooooo😁�
Jambo from Mto Wa Mbo!
June 12, 2024
Jambo! It is crazy to think that our adventures began just one week ago when we all arrived in Tanzania.
Upon our arrival, the entire group had interacted with one another as if they had known each other for months. The trip kicked off when we arrived to Mto Wa Mbo and to the Mungere school. There we immersed ourselves in the many different surrounding cultures. By sparking rich conversation and eagerness to learn, Wilson (Young) and Cameron showed promise on the first day that we were going to become close with the students of the Mungere school. These first couple of days, our group settled into a nice routine- we spent the mornings working alongside the students at the Mungere School, ate lunch, played some “football” (or as we call it soccer), returned to camp where we would spend the late afternoons swimming and making friendship bracelets before dinner and moonup. We grew to love this little routine and it was obvious that with each day the group got closer and closer.
This being said, some of our highlights included a Broadway level dance that was crafted at the fingertips of Hunter, Cate and Elizabeth to perform for the students, who themselves loved to show us their own dance routines. Each afternoon, Aspen and Maclean were stars on the field and definitely showed everyone how soccer is done with their skills. We learned that Wilson (Crane) was destined to be a hacky sack champion, keeping the rallies alive and quickly grasping new tricks. As friendship bracelet making was definitely a crowd favorite, everyone was dialed in… bracelets were stacking high at the picnic tables but we have to say, the most notable just may have been from Henry, the friendship bracelet master. Another secret talent we uncovered was from Margaret who was a master in her own right in the infamous card game “spit”. At these tables is where she cycled through members of the crew winning games one by one despite the true efforts of everyone involved. This update would not be complete without a special shout-out to the incredible flow of fun facts regarding everything under the sun from our beloved “Wynncyclopedia” (Wynn). Nobody can seem to get enough.
To celebrate our final day at the Mungere school and with the students, we decided to spend the morning hiking to a nearby waterfall. Even though this was just a short hike, we carried our full daypacks and claimed it was “Kili-prep”. Though short, this hike did not disappoint- we wove through banana plantations, crossed small streams, and waved to the locals. The final challenge our group would face in order to reach the waterfall was a more complicated river crossing which Martha was instrumental in helping the group achieve. She braced herself on a rock midstream and offered a hand to those crossing, even though this meant sacrificing her dry shoes.
We returned to the school for one final lunch and with heavy hearts said our goodbyes to the Mungere School children who we had grown to know and love over this past week. We gave them friendship bracelets we had made as tokens of our appreciation and planned to be pen pals over the next school year to stay in touch.
Our next adventure of the day was a visit to a native Maasai Village. Upon our arrival, they greeted us with song and dance including a jumping ritual that they encouraged us to join. Afterwards, they gave us a home tour and showed us all of the jewelry they make. To continue our busy afternoon, we hopped back in the safari car and visited 3 local shops- a woodcarving store, a painting shop, and a Masai market. We returned to camp with all of our new souvenirs and stories of our experiences bargaining in the market to a pizza party where we reminisced on an awesome week and got excited for our upcoming trek up the mountain.
We cannot believe that it is finally almost time for our group to begin our ascent up the tallest peak in Africa! Wish us luck!
Hakuna Matata
-KILI 1 – Corley + Caroline
Jambo Bwana from Arusha - Day 1!
June 6, 2024
Hello Kilimanjaro Families!
We heard from our leaders last night that the group has landed safely in Arusha and is enjoying well-deserved rest after several days of travel! The trip is off to a great start, and we are so excited to hear more stories as they begin their service project in Mto Wa Mbu.
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next week! This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
